L’ultimo Caravaggio

18 Saturday Jul 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Art history, Roma

Tags

Baroque art, Caravaggio, Life of Caravaggio, Napoli, Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano, Pio Monte della Misericordia, Roma, Sant'Orsola

410 years ago today, Caravaggio died in a tavern in Porto Ercole. This is about his last painting and the time I went to see the WRONG Caravaggio. I rarely use the words wrong and Caravaggio in the same sentence, but in this case it works.

A few years ago, I had an extremely Caravaggio’d out day in Roma. After my visit to Galleria Borghese, I stopped in to see more Caravaggio works at Santa Maria del Popolo, then met a friend at Sant’Agostino to see the Madonna dei Pellegrini. Whew! I ended up in a Caravaggio Coma and had the best day ever!

When my friend Romano heard I was going to Sant’Agostino, he immediately offered to meet me there. I remember thinking this was odd, since I knew he had a full day. As soon as we approached the painting, and he said ‘Questo è il collo più sensuale nella storia dell’arte /This is the most sensuous neck in the history of art’, I realized he was a fellow Caravaggio nerd. This was, in fact his favourite painting. Afterwards, we went to have caffè freddo and talked about Caravaggio for an hour!

Romano had recently been to Napoli and told me about a Caravaggio painting in a former church owned by a bank. The bank bought the building and it came with the Caravaggio! Whaaaaat! I knew I had to see this Caravaggio if I was ever in Napoli. The name or subject of the painting, and the name of the palazzo was not part of our discussion.

I usually fly home from Napoli, arriving in time to have caffè marocchino and a sflogliatella at the airport, then off I go. 2 days before my departure, I decided to arrive a day early, and spend 24 hours in Napoli.

One of the 4 things on my list to see that day was the painting Romano spoke about. I quickly googled ‘Caravaggio, Napoli, decomissioned church, bank’ and all results came to the painting ‘Sette Opere di Misericordia’/Seven Acts of Mercy’ located in Pio Monte della Misericordia. All 4 of my ‘must see’ places were walking distance from Piazza Dante, and I booked a B&B appropriately called ‘Il Paradiso di Dante’.

I had heard of ‘Sette Opere di Misericordia’ but was not familiar with the location, where it has been hanging for over 400 years. Pio Monte della Misericordia seemed to be a functioning church, so I suspected that something was off. I was not too concerned because it was earthshatteringly amazing, as you can tell by my happy photo. I visited the 3 other places, ate lots of sfogliatelle and had an amazing day. Read all about it in the post Un giorno a Napoli.

Returning to the B&B-and access to wifi- that evening, I looked it up again. As I suspected, Pio Monte della Misericordia is a functioning church with an incredible history. It turns out I went to see the WRONG Caravaggio! If only all of my mistakes were this amazing!There are 3 Caravaggio works in Napoli. The one Romano saw was Il Martirio di Sant’Orsola /The Martyrdom of St Orsola, Caravaggio’s last painting before his death, and only recently re attributed to him. He may have even referred to it as ‘l’ultimo Caravaggio’, which would have been a helpful clue, but I did not remember that detail.

Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano was converted to a bank from 1898-1920 and now houses the Banca Intesa San Paolo Collection. It was not far out of my way back to Piazza Dante, so I could have made it there if I had realized my mistake earlier. Mannaggia!

The painting was commissioned by Marcantonio Doria, a young banker and collector from Genoa. His stepdaughter was about to enter a religious order and take the name Suor Orsola (Sister Orsola). Lanfranco Massa, the art agent in Napoli wrote to Doria on May 11, 1610 that the painting was finished but not yet completely dry, so he had put it out in the sun (bad idea!) and the varnish had gone a bit soft. Massa also encouraged Doria to commission more Caravaggio works, as patrons were fighting over him and this was a good opportunity.

Caravaggio arrived in Napoli for the second time in October 1609. Within days, his violent past caught up to him and he was brutally attacked by 4 armed men. There were rumours he had been disfigured or killed. His recovery was long, and he produced only 3 paintings during this time. Sant’Orsola arrived in Genoa June 18, 1610. Soon afterwards, Caravaggio set sail for Roma to finally receive a pardon for his murder conviction from Pope Paul V. He died enroute in Porto Ercole on July 18^th 1610 from a staph infection caused by the attack.

The subject of the painting, Orsola, and her 11 companions were captured by the Huns on the way back from a pilgrimage to Roma. The companions were killed, but Attila the Hun was impressed by Orsola’s modesty and beauty. She refused to marry him and he shot her with an arrow. The painting captures the moment of action when the arrow strikes her. She is deathly pale as she looks down at the entry wound with a surprised expression, as if to say ‘Oh my….look…there is an arrow sticking out of my chest’. The painting is looser and more impressionistic than usual, as if it was painted in a rush. It is very dark, less chiaro, more scuro and does not have the divine light present in most Caravaggio works. He was going through a difficult time, which is reflected in the darkness and mood of the painting. One of the shocked bystanders behind Orsola is Caravaggio in his last selfie.

Caravaggio-Martirio-Sant-Orsola-2

The Doria estate eventually ended up in Napoli, bringing Sant’Orsola back home. In 1854, it was listed in the inventory of Giovanni Doria’s inheritance along with Palazzo Doria D’Angri. Caravaggio only signed one of his works. The Doria family owned this painting for 300 years-so long that over time the artist was forgotten. Oops! Caravaggio’s influence and style defined painting in Napoli for several centuries. During a 1963 exhibit in Napoli called ‘Caravaggio e Caravaggeschi’, Sant’Orsola was attributed to Mattia Preti (1613-1699), although several art historians believed it to be Caravaggio’s work. In 1973 Baronessa Avezzano sold it to Banca Intesa.

In 1980, in the Doria family archives, art historian Vincenzo Pacelli (1939-2014) found the letter from the agent which I mentioned earlier, confirming that Sant’Orsola was painted by Caravaggio. Finalmente!

Palazzo Zavallos Stigliano is on Via Toledo 185, Napoli, not far from the Toledo Metro station. Admission is €5. It is closed Mondays. Hours Tu-F 10-18, Sat/Sun 10-20

Links: For more about the life and death of the Baroque Bad Boy – Caravaggio.

To recreate my Caravaggio coma day in Roma –Caffè con Caravaggio a Roma

I hope you found my convoluted story molto interessante!

Ciao, Cristina

Un Giorno a Napoli

06 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Italia, Travel

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Campania, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Napoli, Napoli Centro Storico, Southern Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Napoli is one of the oldest continually inhabited urban areas in the world. It was founded by Greek sailors from Rhodes in 680 BC. They named her Parthenope after the siren who tried to lure Ulysses. In 474 BC it was renamed Neapolis, meaning ‘new city’ giving us the present name as well as the anglicized Naples. After Roma and Milano, Napoli is the 3^rd largest city in Italia.

Napoli is an open air museum layered with 2800 years of history-from Ancient to Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, with ruins, castles, historic buildings and monuments. It was one of the wealthiest cities in Europe before Italian unification of 1860. Allied bombing during WWII caused severe damage, resulting in extensive reconstruction after 1945. Napoli’s Centro Storico, the largest in Europe, still has the rectangular grid layout of the original Greek streets, called Decumani and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.

Napoli is underrated, misunderstood and does not get the love it deserves, except from fans of Elena Ferrante novels. News of corruption, the Camorra and ongoing garbage crises give it a bad rep. It it ironic that everyone-including many Italians fears for their life and thinks it is just a crime pit, when Napoli is actually safer than most large North American cities. It is vibrant, wonderfully chaotic, full of life and passionate, friendly people. Napoli has an ‘edge’ to it and is anything but boring!

Not even 2 hours from Orsara di Puglia, I had only been to Napoli to take ferries or fly home. 2 years ago, I decided just days in advance to arrive by bus the day before my flight and stay 24 hours. Best plan ever! Last year I went for the day with my cugino who had an airport pickup, and took the bus home for €11.

I would not advise anyone to see Napoli in one day. 3-4 days is needed, not including daytrips to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Capri or Ischia. However, if you have only un giorno-one day to spare, because you are headed somewhere else or taking a daytrip, this is my suggested itinerary!

My first full day in Napoli was a last minute plan. I had 4 ‘must see’ things on my list. They were all walking distance from Piazza Dante, so I booked a night at the wonderfully named ‘Il Paradiso di Dante’. If arriving at the Stazione in Piazza Garibaldi or the bus terminal behind it, all of the destinations are easily reached on foot or by Metro. A day ticket for the Metro is €4.50. From Capodichino airport, the Alibus is a 15 min non-stop ride to Piazza Garibaldi for €5.

I realize few people will drool over ancient frescos or Caravaggio for as much time as I do, so I am adding a few extra sites along the way. This itinerary can be done in reverse and/or in different order.

The first stop on any visit to Napoli is for Sfogliatelle –crunchy layered pastry, filled with sweet ricotta, lemon and candied peel. Sfogliatelle in Napoli are delicious and inexpensive. The best are served straight from the oven at Antico Forno Attanasio, Via Ferrovia 1-4 just a few blocks from Piazza Garibaldi. At €1.30, why stop at just one? The lineup moves quickly. The sign above the oven says ‘Napule tre cose tene belle….o’ mare o’ vesuvio e sfogliatelle’ / Napoli has 3 beautiful things….the sea, Vesuvius and sfogliatelle.

Walk down Corso Umberto I to Via Duomo (or Metro to Museo if reversing). Turn right on Via dei Tribunali a long narrow street packed with great stuff. It is one of the original Greek Decumani. Napoli has elevated graffiti into an art form, so keep an eye out for cool street art.

First stop is the small octagonal church Pio Monte della Misericordia to see Caravaggio’s masterpiece 7 opere di Misericordia-7 Acts of Mercy hanging where it has been for over 400 years. Napoli has been a capital of the Baroque since the 1606 artistic revolution following the arrival of Caravaggio. Admission is €8. Open daily from 9:00-18:00 except Sunday it closes at 14:30. Do not miss this and click the link to read my post!

Not even 100 m away is the Duomo Santa Maria Assunta built on the site of a temple of Neptune. It was ruined in the 1456 earthquake and repeatedly renovated, resulting in a mishmash of styles and a Neogothic facade. The church is often called San Gennaro- Napoli’s patron saint. The Cappella di San Gennaro contains an ampule of his blood that is brought out on the 1^st Saturday in May, September 19^th and December 16^th for the miracle of his blood liquefying.

Duomo di Napoli. Image Wikimedia Commons

The entrance to Napoli Sotterranea is close by on Via dei Tribunali. Napoli’s stratified history is visible here…..40 m below street level are Greek structures, Roman aqueducts and cisterns, catacombs, a Bourbon royal escape tunnel and stuff left over from 1945 when the underground was an air raid shelter! The tour is 1.5 hours so I have never had enough time, but it sounds fascinating!

At Piazza San Gaetano turn left onto Via San Gregorio Armeno. Napoli has a long presepio– Nativity Scene tradition. This street is full of artigiani– artisans making presepio pieces along with figurines of contemporary personalities. I like to visit the bottega of Antonio Pepe.

Via San Gregorio Armeni Napoli, Antonio Pepe, www.unpodipepe.ca

‘Lavorazioni di Pastori e Scenografie Presepiati Antonio Pepe’, Via San Gregorio Armeno, Napoli (no relation!)

The end of this street intersects with the one parallel to Via dei Tribunali, another of the Decumani, called ‘Spaccanapoli’ meaning ‘cut across Napoli’ because it cuts the centro storico in half. There may be time later to visit the Chiostro di Santa Chiara, cloisters with beautiful majolica tile work.

Back on Via dei Tribunali turn left at Piazza Luigi Miraglia to Via Francesco de Sanctis 19, the Cappella San Severo. My Zia told me not to miss this! It is a Baroque chapel with strict security, admission limits and no photography allowed. Lineups can be long, but I only waited 30 minutes.

The main attraction is Giuseppe Sammartino’s jaw dropping 1753 sculpture Cristo Vellato- Christ laying on a mattress, covered in a sheer veil with a lace edge-all sculpted out of marble. It is so lifelike, the urge to reach out and touch it is hard to resist. The owner, Prince Raimondo di Sangro dabbled in alchemy. Baroque urban legend is that he taught the artist how to calcify a veil with marble crystals…but it is actually sculpted. The small Chapel is filled with other magnificent works of art. Admission is €8 or online €10. Open 9:00-18:00. Closed Tuesdays! It may be better to see this first then walk back to Via S Gregorio Armeno.

When hunger strikes, there is plenty of cibo di strada-street food available on Via dei Tribunali and Spaccanapoli. Fritto misto –fried fish or vegetables in paper cones, pizze fritte and pizza al portafoglio are all delicious. Sfogliatelle and babà are €1!

Via dei Tribunali is also home to Gino Sorbillo pizza, which always has lineups. The line moves quickly, but with a shortage of time, try one of the less known places. It is hard to find bad pizza in Napoli!

Exit Via dei Tribunali through the Port’Alba to Piazza Dante on Via Toledo. From here, walk or take the Metro 1 stop to Museo. Walking will take almost the same amount of time. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli (MANN) is massive and has the world’s biggest collection of Greco Roman art and artifacts. For archeology nerds like me, this is Heaven and it needs its own post. The frescoes and artifacts from Pompeii and Ercolano/Herculaneum are here, and the massive Farnese collection sculptures such as Toro Farnese. The Gabbinetto Segreto is a secret room full of ancient erotica, mostly from Pompeii’s brothel. Admission is €18 and well worth it. Tickets can be bought online. Open from 9:00-19:30- later than other places, but it is closed Tuesdays! Read more about MANN in Blub a Napoli. The day can also start at MANN, doing the itinerary in reverse.

Depending on how much time is spent walking, visiting all of the above and when you need to leave, there may be time for more. Take the Metro 2 stops to the award winning Toledo station, walk to the end of Via Toledo to Piazza del Plebescito, one of the largest piazze in Italia. On Via Chiaia is Caffè Gambrinus the historic caffè letterario where European intellectuals including Oscar Wilde, Hemingway, D’Annunzio and Totò hung out. Mussolini shut it down for being antifascist. That alone is reason to have another sfogliatella there-even take-out will cost more due to the location, but worth it.

If you somehow still have time left, walk to Galleria Umberto I, Teatro San Carlo Opera House or Via Santa Lucia by the harbour and Castel dell’Ovo. Need more sfogliatelle? Stop at Pintauro, Via Toledo 275. Then take the Metro back to Piazza Garibaldi.

Napoli is great to visit any time of year! Remember that MANN and the Cappella San Severo are closed Tuesdays. Busier times include December for the Presepi on display and the 3 San Gennaro dates. I have only been in July or August when a lot of Napoletani are at the beach. There are less cars on the road-according to my taxi driver-named Gennaro of course! He was so impressed that I was able to understand him! We had many neighbours and friend from Napoli when I was growing up so I understand Napoletano quite well.

An old saying goes ‘Vedi Napoli e mori’. I hope you enjoyed un giorno a Napoli-I guarantee you will be back! Have an extra sfogliatella for me! Buon viaggio, Cristina

Stay tuned for my next post on Napoli street art!

Blub a Napoli

28 Wednesday Aug 2019

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Italia, Photography

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Art history, Blub, Contemporary art Napoli, Fresco painting, L'arte sa nuotare, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Napoli, Pompeii, Street art

A few weeks ago I took a daytrip to Napoli for sfogliatelle-but also to see the Blub exhibit at MANN (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli). If you do not know about the street artist from Firenze, make sure to read my Blub post L’Arte sa Nuotare. Blub (Bloob) takes famous works of art and gives them a new look, immersing them underwater, complete with blue background, snorkel masks and bollicine-bubbles. Prints are organically glued to the metallic doors of gas and electrical panels, which provide ready-made frames.

To prepare for the exhibit, Napoli’s Centro Storico was ‘Blubified’ with 40 works plastered on sportelli-the doors of gas and electrical panels. A few are specific to Napoli, for example Totò and Re Carlo III Borbone (King Charles III).

In the exhibit, which only includes 5 new works, the project ‘L’Arte sa Nuotare’ (Art knows how to swim) is extended to Pompeii. 4 paintings on metal are inspired by affreschi (frescoes) from the ruins of Pompeii. There is also the portrait of Carlo III and some sculptures have been adorned with masks and fins, as well as the tomb in the photo below.

The nymph is a detail from the fresco ‘Il Volo di Dedalo e la caduta di Icaro’(the flight of Dedalus and the fall of Icarus) from Villa Imperiale, Pompeii. It is an acrylic painting on a metal door and I love how the rust has been incorporated.

Terentius Neo e la moglie (Terentius Neo and his wife) is a fresco from 55-79 AD found in 1868 in the house of baker Terentius Neo, which was also the bakery. The middle class couple is well-dressed, and he holds a scroll with seal, his wife a stylus and wax tablet to demonstrate that they are literate and cultured. His wife is portrayed as an equal, in fact she seems to be standing in front of her husband.

Here is the original fresco in MANN:

Donna con tavolette cerate e stilo (Woman with wax tablets and pen) is a tondo, a round painting found in 1760 in the Insula Occidentalis house in Pompeii. It depicts a wealthy woman with gold earrings and a gold hair net. She is holding a stylus and 4 wax tablets, to demonstrate learning and culture. This fresco is known as Sappho, although it is not a portrait of the poetess, in fact the stylus and wax tablets were more likely used for accounting than poetry. Blub again incorporates the rust on the metal door to add ‘age’ to the work.

The original fresco in MANN:

My favourite Blub here is Maschera Teatrale di Donna (Woman’s theater mask) inspired by a fresco in Casa del braciale d’oro (House of the golden bracelet) in Pompeii. The work is under glass, so my photo has glare issues. The tag says that this Blub work is an acrylic on metal door and is in a private collection in Hingham, Massachusetts, so I think that means Blub made a sale!

Maschera Teatrale subacqua, from L’Arte sa Nuotare Facebook page

‘….water is my element. Life is born from water, it is the hidden side of matter. When you are immersed, time stops and becomes weightless, while thoughts flow freely in a suspended dimension…for this I propose personalities that have transmitted an example of greatness that survives still today, as if underwater, without time.’ Blub

Seeing all the affreschi from Pompeii in MANN really inspired me to get out my bucket of plaster and pigments. Fresco painting is not a very ‘modern’ art form, but I have dabbled in it a bit and really love it. Below is my detail of La Cappella Sistina. My next fresco painting might be one of Giotto’s angels. I’ll be looking for rusty metal doors to paint on! Let me know if you have any.

Blub hunting in the Centro Storico was not very productive. We found a peek-a boo Blub….a Renaissance woman mostly covered by the propped open door of a store! Giuseppe Verdi looks very distinguished among the graffiti. I was disappointed to not find a Totò, but did find a Banksy and lots of other interesting street art-which I will leave for another post!

The exhibit in MANN ends in a few days. I hope you enjoyed this virtual Blub tour and that all of you can some day view real life ‘Blubi’! Ciao, Cristina

*Photo credit-Both photos of Terentius Neo e la moglie and Blub’s Sappho taken by my cugino and Napoli travel partner Mark ‘Peperotti‘ Pepe

Pio Monte della Misericordia

11 Monday Feb 2019

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Art history, Italia

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

7 Acts of Mercy, Caravaggio, Napoli

Pio Monte della Misericordia (Pious mount of mercy) is a charitable organization founded in 1601 by seven young noblemen in Napoli. Every Friday they met at the hospital to minister to the sick. 400 years later, the organization is still in operation, assisting minors at risk, those struggling with addiction, unaccompanied migrant minors, disadvantaged families, the homeless and the terminally ill.

In 1602, the founders commissioned a small octagonal church on Via dei Tribunali. They wanted artwork to express their sense of charitable mission, which was guided by le sette opere di misericordia, the seven corporal works of mercy. These are a set of compassionate acts concerning the material needs of others, based on the bible passage ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me’ Matthew 25:35:36. Bury the dead was added later and comes from another scripture.

They hired, who else but Caravaggio to paint one of the seven works of mercy for the altar of each of 7 chapels. Caravaggio was either in a big rush or feeling like a challenge, because he incorporated all 7 onto 1 canvas! The capolavoro is one of the most important of his works, and of the 17^th Century. It still hangs in its original position above the high central altar! Seven local Caravaggio followers, including Luca Giordano, Fabrizio Santafede and Battistello Caracciolo provided paintings for the chapels.

The composition is realistic, complex and dramatic. At the top of the painting, 2 angels are supporting the Madonna di Misericordia and child in the air. The bottom half features figures carrying out the acts of mercy. On the right, from the myth Roman Charity, Pero secretly breastfeeds her father, Cimon, after he is imprisoned and sentenced to death by starvation. (feed the hungry and visit the imprisoned). Behind the wall of the prison, 2 men carry a shrouded body with the feet dangling out of the blanket (bury the dead). On the left, St Martin de Tours comforts the injured beggar in the foreground (comfort the sick). He tears his cloak and gives half to the naked beggar (clothe the naked). In the background, a pilgrim with a shell in his hat asks an innkeeper for shelter (shelter the traveler) and behind them, Samson drinks from the jawbone of a donkey (give drink to the thirsty). All of this action is taking place in a dark, mysterious vicolo, an alley that could be just around the corner. Caravaggio uses his signature strong contrasts of light and dark chiaroscuro, the bright light acting as a metaphor for mercy.

Caravaggio came to Napoli with a price on his head, on the run from a murder charge. He was idolized and successful in Napoli, but he was desperate for a pardon, so after only a year, he left Napoli for Malta where he thought the Knights of St John could help him. This may explain his decision to incorporate all of the works of mercy into one painting! As discussed in this post, it has also been confirmed that he had lead poisoning. Caravaggio understood Napoli like no other painter and had a profound influence on the artistic scene in the city for the next few centuries. He left behind a lot of followers-the Caravaggesque movement.

The €7 admission includes a visit to the Quadreria- Art Gallery, which contains 15^th-18^th Century paintings by Napoletani artists and also the original receipt for 400 ducats paid to Caravaggio. Via dei Tribunali 253, Napoli. Open Mon-Sat 09-18, Sunday 09-14:30

Images: Scan of Le Sette Opere di Misericordia taken from the Pio Monte della Misericordia brochure. Photo of me with the painting taken by another visitor to the church. He said I looked so excited he had to take my photo!

A Smoky Haze

13 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Travel

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Granville Island, Incendi, Napoli, Vancouver, Vesuvio

It seems a smoky haze has been following me around-and I am not talking about jet lag! When I arrived in Napoli on July 11th, the air was grey and smoky. As we were driving from Capodichino airport, my cugino said ‘è il fumo da Vesuvio’. I looked over at the imposing volcano and the crater was engulfed in smoke! I immediately thought the worst and started to panic and wonder why the 3,000,000 people living in the area were not being evacuated! Then it was clarified…..the smoke from Vesuvio was from incendi, wildfires burning on the slopes of the volcano. The cause is thought to be intentional, although no one is really sure. I am not even going to discuss some of the ridiculous rumours I heard. The hot weather, dry soil and wind is not helping. This is really awful, although looking on the bright side, it is less awful than a volcanic eruption in an area with a population of 3,000,000.

July 11th tweet from 3B Meteo comparing photo of 1944 Vesuvio eruption and today’s fires!

A month later, the air in Napoli was still an atmospheric gray zone. The day I flew home was also slightly windy. This caused my flight to be delayed and my connecting flight in Munich left without me. Mannaggia! I was not impressed.

A day late, I finally arrived home, and was surprised to find the air conditions to be the same smoky haze I left in Napoli! Was this gray blanket of fog following me? To top it all off, the mountains were missing from the landscape! It had been this way for 2 weeks due to over 150 wildfires burning in the interior of British Columbia. The air was so smoky and gray the mountains were not visible.

Yesterday I was at Granville Island. If you are not familiar with it, this photo may look normal. There is something missing…..some very large mountains in the background!

Today the mountains were slightly visible. Luckily it is just starting to rain now, so that will improve our air quality, and hopefully help to put out the fires. Speriamo che piove anche a Napoli!

I wrote about my internet issues and difficulty keeping up with blogging in my last post Chiuso per Ferie. Now that I am home, I will be catching up on reading and soon I will be publishing posts from my travels.

A presto, Cristina

Il Presepio

23 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Culture, Feste, Italian life

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Greccio, L'Immacolata, Napoli, Nativity history, Presepio, San Francesco d'Assisi, Via San Gregorio Armeno

L’Immacolata is the feast of the conception of the Virgin Mary on December 8th. It is a national holiday in Italia and also the official beginning of the Feste Natalizie. Italiani usually put up l’albero di Natale (the Christmas tree) and il Presepio (the Nativity scene) on this day.

San Francesco d’Assisi created the first Presepio in 1223 in a cave in Greccio. He had been to the birthplace of Gesù (Jesus) in Bethlehem and was inspired to recreate the scene. This was his attempt to return the emphasis of Christmas on the birth of Christ rather than gift-giving. I find it interesting that the ‘commercialization’ of Christmas is not a new concept at all. Searching for ‘the true meaning of Christmas’ did not start with Charlie Brown but in the 13th Century!

San Francesco’s was a ‘Presepio Vivente’, with real people and animals. The live figures were eventually replaced by statues, and Presepi also started to be set up in homes. The Presepio includes the Holy Family-although Bambino Gesù is not placed in the manger until after midnight Christmas Eve-angels, shepherds, animals, and the Re Magi (3 Wise Men). The 3 Wise Men are at a distance, since they arrive on January 6th. I also have my Befana figurine trailing behind them! Several hundred years ago, Presepi also started to include scenes from village life. Of course before Google Earth, Wikipedia, or even photography, no one actually knew what 1st Century Bethlehem looked like, so the village scenes resembled the local areas. The tradition of the Presepio is popular throughout Italia, with most families having one. My Mamma gets very detailed and creative with her Presepio, even baking tiny bread, pizze and Panini.

Particolari del Presepio di Mamma-Details of Mamma’s Presepio

Via San Gregorio Armeno in Napoli is lined with artigiani (artisans) making presepio figurines and accessories all year round. The attention to detail is incredible! I must go and get myself a zampognaro (zam·poh·NYAH·roh) for my presepio. This is a traditional Abruzzese bagpiping shepherd! The 2 photos below of San Gregorio Armeno artigiani were taken by my amica Anna.

Many villages, including Orsara di Puglia, have a Presepe Vivente in December. Like the original one, this features the live Nativity and also artisans in traditional costume working on trades and making traditional local dishes. I’d love to hear what you have in your Presepio!